Lausanne World Pulse – PUBLISHER'S MEMO – Cape Town Commitment: Finding Our Place

By Naomi Frizzell
October / November 2013

What is one of the first things you do when you see a photograph of a group of people? You look for yourself or people you know. Admit it, you do.

For most, it’s a natural reaction, not born out of pride, but rather curiosity and a sense of finding one’s place in the crowd. For those of us who consider ourselves less than photogenic, it’s a reaction of self-preservation. Did they catch me scratching my nose, or looking bored, or even asleep? Did my hair/make-up/suit look okay that day? Or perchance did they get a photo of me that was so nice that I can repost it on my Facebook page or blog and send a 5X10 glossy to my mother?

Cape Town 2010 was likely one of the most photographed international gatherings of Christian leaders in history. Our official photography team, headed by Bill Bangham, did an amazing job in chronicling the gathering. His team took a staggering 30,000+ photos (see some of them here: www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010/photos.html).

Add in the photographs taken by each participant and the volunteers/stewards and likely hundreds of thousands of photos were taken at/of the Congress. They included everything from the poignant or funny shots and obligatory leadership “grip and grins” to the “look mom, I’m in Cape Town” shots.

What does this have to do with the Cape Town Commitment?

Do a search on the Cape Town Commitment and you’ll find hundreds of references to it online. (Born out of the Cape Town 2010 Congress, it was released in its entirety at the end of January 2011.) The comments range from positive and affirming to those that criticize the intent of the Commitment and what was “left out of” or “put into” the statement. It’s been called everything from “stunning” (in a good way) and a “powerful resource for the global Church” to “deeply disappointing” (not so good) and “lacking the important issues.”

Finding Your Place in the Commitment
Regardless of the positive or negative comments, it seems many people are looking to “find their place” in the Commitment. Just as we look at photographs to find ourselves in the crowd, so too are people looking at the Commitment trying to find themselves. I see people who are serious about their faith, serious about their personal calling, who are getting serious about this thing we call evangelism and their part in it. I see people finding their place as a believer in Jesus Christ the Messiah—and all that means for how we serve our Lord and his world.

People are interested in what the document says about leadership, ministry to/with people with disabilities, business as mission, men and women working together in ministry, Bible engagement, partnership and collaboration, human trafficking . . . and the list goes on. What does the Commitment say about the things that I care about, about the things in which I am investing my life?

Leaders at many mission agencies and theological colleges are already looking carefully at the Commitment. Alongside that, Lausanne’s International Deputy Directors are planning consultations on the implications of the Cape Town 2010 themes for Christian witness in each region in the world. Issues include:

  • Media and the Gospel
  • Work and Witness (Business as Mission)
  • Mobilizing Resources
  • Ethnicity and Identity (Ethno-religious identity)
  • Environmental Crisis/Creation Care
  • Other Religions
  • Megacities
  • Ethics/Emerging Technologies
  • Poverty, Prosperity, and the Gospel
  • Truth in the Academic World (How do we get a moral framework in government and in universities based on truth?)
  • And many others

These consultations will be taking place later this year and next. For more information on what’s happening in your region, email [email protected].

Cape Town 2010 participants are also organizing national and regional post-Congress “debriefing events.” Several have already taken place in Italy, Eurasia, across the continent of Africa, and in the U.K. Groups are asking the questions, “Now what?” and “What does the Cape Town Commitment mean to our region, community, and church?”